India Today: Economy, Politics and Society

Twenty years ago India was still generally thought of as an
archetypal developing country, home to the largest number of poor
people of any country in the world, and beset by problems of low
economic growth, casteism and violent religious conflict. Now India
is being feted as an economic power-house which might well become
the second largest economy in the world before the middle of this
century. Its democratic traditions, moreover, remain broadly
intact.

How and why has this historic transformation come about? And
what are its implications for the people of India, for Indian
society and politics? These are the big questions addressed in this
book by three scholars who have lived and researched in different
parts of India during the period of this great transformation.

Each of the 13 chapters seeks to answer a particular question:
When and why did India take off? How did a weak state promote
audacious reform? Is government in India becoming more responsive
(and to whom)? Does India have a civil society? Does caste still
matter? Why is India threatened by a Maoist insurgency? In
addressing these and other pressing questions, the authors take
full account of vibrant new scholarship that has emerged over the
past decade or so, both from Indian writers and India specialists,
and from social scientists who have studied India in a comparative
context.

India Today is a comprehensive and compelling text
for students of South Asia, political economy, development and
comparative politics as well as anyone interested in the future of
the world's largest democracy.

"Encompassing a vast canvas succinctly and incisively, the book is a worthy addition to the scholarship on the subject."The Hindu

"If you want a smart, pithy and extremely well-informed take on the central issues facing India today, as well as a guide to all the main debates, then this is the book you need."Steven Wilkinson, Yale University

"Scrupulous and wide ranging in its survey of the relevant literature, sober and balanced in its judgements on the economy, polity and society, this book will prove indispensable for understanding how and why India is what it is today, and where it may be heading."Achin Vanaik, Former Professor of International Relations and Global Politics, Department of Political Science, University of Delhi

"A magisterial inter-disciplinary work that explains how pro-business reforms drove three decades of high growth in India and then explores in depth the many challenges that yet remain. India is at an exciting stage of its journey: this book captures its achievements and vulnerabilities."Mushtaq H. Khan, SOAS, University of London

"This is an exceptional book that will provide a useful and up-to-date overview of contemporary India for both established scholars and those new to the field. It is also sufficiently comprehensive and clearly written to make a useful teaching resource for both graduate and advanced undergraduate courses."Trent Brown, Australian Catholic University

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